5 best enchantments for swords in Minecraft 1.19 update

Swords are one of the few different melee weapons in Minecraft, and can be made from materials ranging from wood to netherite. However, players can further improve the potential of these weapons by enchanting them.

As of Minecraft 1.19, there are a total of 10 enchantments for swords, though one, Sweeping Edge, is only available in Java Edition. This provides a sizable number of customization options to suit a player's individual playstyle.

However, not all sword enchantments are equal, as some are rather situational and others are much more beneficial for players in the long run. Below, Minecraft players can find some of the top options for sword enchantments as of The Wild Update.

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Top sword enchantments for general use in Minecraft 1.19, ranked

5) Looting

A large number feathers dropping from the looting enchantment (Image via Mojang)

Looting is an excellent enchantment for Minecraft players who need more mob drops. This particular enchantment is capable of increasing the number of items dropped by killed mobs, and also increases the chances that rare drops will appear.

Looting increases the number of common drops per level, meaning players can obtain up to three more items from a mob drop at the maximum vanilla level of looting.

Each level also increases the percentage of rare drops by 1%. Having a 3% higher rare drop chance may not seem like much, but it can make a huge difference, especially when players are farming for a specific item.

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4) Unbreaking

Few things can be more aggravating than breaking a weapon or tool in the middle of using it. Unbreaking is an enchantment directly addressing this issue, increasing the tool or weapon's durability.

While it doesn't exactly increase an item's durability, it reduces the chance that the item's durability will reduce when used. At the maximum rank of three, most tools and weapons will last approximately four times as long.

This can be higher or lower depending on how often durability loss is triggered, but Unbreaking is still an excellent option for increasing longevity in Minecraft 1.19.

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3) Fire Aspect

A zombie set aflame by Fire Aspect (Image via Mojang)

It's no secret that setting enemy targets on fire is a great way to deal damage. However, it isn't always easy to pull off. If players enchant their sword with Fire Aspect, they should be able to easily and reliably set opposing targets on fire.

The enchantment applies 80 ticks of fire to its target per level, resulting in a considerable amount of fire damage being done. The enchantment even allows mobs that drop raw meat to drop cooked meat instead, which is certainly a plus.

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2) Sharpness

For a base damage increase on their sword, players can't go wrong with the Sharpness enchantment. In Minecraft: Java Edition, a Sharpness V sword will deal three extra damage per strike, and Bedrock swords will deal an additional 6.25 damage.

This base damage increase still applies to critical strikes as well, meaning a Netherite sword can deal a maximum of 15 damage on Java and 21.375 in Bedrock with a crit. It won't lead to one-hit kills against more powerful Minecraft mobs, but the added bonus from Sharpness is still a big help.

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1) Mending

Mending can be applied via enchanted book (Image via Mojang)

While Unbreaking is a great way to keep a player's tools and weapons in good shape, there's still a better alternative. With Mending, each time a player picks up experience orbs, they'll restore the durability of their enchanted item.

This is an excellent enchantment to apply to a sword, as it keeps players from using precious resources to repair their weapons.

When players eventually acquire powerful swords of diamond or netherite quality, they'll be happy to have an enchantment that saves them diamonds and Netherite ingots in the long run, as these materials aren't easy to obtain.